Maybe I'm the Weird one
Upon reading her post last night, I was shocked to learn that there are people out there who actually use liquid fabric softener AND dryer sheets. I do not mean to imply that I am intimately familiar with the laundering processes of everyone, or even anyone, I know. But, I just ASSUMED that you use EITHER liquid softener OR dryer sheets, but CERTAINLY, gasp,not both.
So I frantically clicked on her comments link to see if I could join the throngs who were making fun of her for her over-softening neurosis. (Yes, it was my first time reading her blog, and I know making fun of someone in your very first comment is poor netiquette, but she SAID we could make fun of her... and besides, with a title like that, I just knew we were kindred spirits and she would OF COURSE be able to hear my sarcastic tone...)
But, much to my dismay, no one thought anything of her double-softening practices.
Scracthing my head.
Not LOL.
Furrowed brow.
Horror movie music crescendos in the background.
Glancing up from my computer in wide-eyed panic.
Is it ME that has the weird laundering habits? Those Downy commercials really ARE true? People are living that "rub your cheek on your husband's sweatshirt, gleefully emerging from the shower to embrace yourself in fluffy towel softness, sheets so soft you actually ENJOY making the bed" world after all?
Why didn't anyone tell me?
But wait. Things are actually worse than I originally thought. Because not only am I not using liquid softener, but I also STOPPED USING THE DRYER SHEETS!
Remember? The dryer balls?
Here they are:
I am now using these istead of a dryer sheet. I like them better because:
- there is less waste
- they don't smell like anything... and I don't have to think about "scent-matching," as Boomama points out (believe me, I've thought about that too)
- these reduce the amount of chemicals that get on our skin, and I am all for that.
- they make great back-scratchers (so not kidding, here)
- in the long run, they will cost less than continually buying fabric sheets
- oh, and they really do make the clothes pretty soft.
The things I don't like:
- they are louder than dryer sheets... but only a little. And we put up with it just fine even though we live in a small house where you can hear noise coming from any room no matter where you might be at the time
- if the kids find them, they think they are balls and throw them all over the place. Then they (the dryer balls, not the kids) get lost and I can't find them when I need them. Of course, if we'd stop using them as back-scratchers, they would never be within the kids' reach in the first place. A real catch-22, isn't it?
- they aren't great at reducing static cling. But I have only had problems with a few particularly static-y (is that a word?) pieces of clothing. Nothing major.
I know you were dying for the dryer ball update. So there you have it folks. I'm pretty sure we aren't living in a Downy commercial, but, so far, we are making due quite well.
You can all go back to your plush-toweled bliss now.
posted by 
at 12:13 PM
7 Comments:
I'm lucky if I remember to use anything. The dryer sheets are there - mostly for my husbands use - he doesn't notice if I don't use them. So what's the problem? LOL
Now doing both liquid and dryer sheets, that just sounds like work. And to tell you the truth, my mom never used liquid so I have no idea how to properly use it.
As for dryer balls, I've never tried them.
Only in America...
I stopped using all fabric softener when I was in New Zealand. People there don't use it. I don't know why exactly, they just don't. If not using fabric softener is good enough for an entire country, it's good enough for me. Anyway, it's expensive!
On a similar note, fabric softener is actually contraindicated for certain types of fabrics, especially polartec fleece, polypropylene, and other quick drying materials. If it is bad for some, why not all?
I've also read, if you use fabric softener, you should never use it with every wash because it ruins your clothes. I don't know how it ruins them, but possibly something to think about for Miss 'I have an unhealthy infatuation with soft clothes.'
Fascinating! I do not have an obsession with overly softening my clothes, but I do like them soft. But use dryer sheets AND fabric softener? NEVER! :-) Towels are the only things that I really can tell a difference between using fabric softener or not, anyway. So why am I using that stuff? I'm not sure.
That is such a funny post...I love the part about horror music swelling in the background. I'm starting to think that I really am the weird one...the scales are falling from my over-softened eyes. :-)
Maybe it's a Southern thing? Maybe? We go overboard with everything down here, you know. :-)
My mama always used both softener and dryer sheets, so the laundry apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I reckon. I will say that my husband doesn't like it when I use fabric softener on the towels...because he doesn't like them to be soft and fluffy.
I am going to try an experiment and leave out the fabric softener part of my washing routine...I'll report back with the results. All in the name of bloggity science, of course.
Ha haha! Too funny. I have never used fabric softener in my life, and wouldn't know how to if I tried. I have, however, always felt like I wasn't doing my laundry the "proper" way. But hey, my clothes are clean, or at least that is what I think...
The dryer balls are incredibly cute! By the way, I've tagged you for this weird meme that Boomama did.
And I've obviously got some blog catchin' up to do here. I've been out of commision for far too long! And don't think I didn't notice that you used the internet abbr. 'IRL' in my comments! It made me ROFLOL! :P OK, maybe I didn't ROF.
All I can say is that you've got balls woman!
Seriously, I've never heard of the dryer balls before, but I'll be on the lookout for them!
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